A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that its founder, Dr Karl Von Batten, was offered $3 million and invited to a confidential meeting in London in an attempt to persuade him to discontinue the firm’s campaign concerning allegations against President Bola Tinubu.
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The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, made the allegation in a statement posted on its X account on Wednesday, claiming that the approach was made “a few days ago” by a highly placed individual whom it said it had been informed was connected to Tinubu.
The allegation has not been independently verified, and the firm did not publicly identify the individual who allegedly made the offer or provide evidence establishing any connection between that person and the President.
According to the lobbying firm, the alleged payment was intended to induce Von Batten to end its campaign over what it described as historical allegations relating to Tinubu and purported heroin-trafficking records.
The firm said its founder rejected the proposal, preserved copies of the communications with the alleged intermediary and subsequently contacted members of Atiku’s campaign to establish the nature of the individual’s purported relationship with Tinubu.
“A few days ago, Dr. Von Batten received unsolicited offers of $3 million, along with an invitation to a confidential meeting in London, from a highly placed individual whom we have been informed is connected to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu,” the firm stated.
It added that Von Batten “refused the offers” and immediately preserved the exchanges.
The firm further alleged that a smear campaign against its founder began after the offer was rejected.
Von Batten-Montague-York said it intends to submit the alleged offer and related communications to the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for review.
The Presidency, however, has strongly challenged the credibility of the wider allegations being advanced by the lobbying firm.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, described Von Batten’s claims as those of a commercial lobbyist rather than the position of the United States government or President Donald Trump.
Dare challenged those behind the allegations to produce the purported “highly classified intelligence report,” identify the unnamed sources being relied upon and provide documentary evidence supporting their claims.
According to him, the materials being circulated contained no intelligence document, named Western official or evidence establishing the alleged exchange of Nigerian secrets or resources.
“It is nothing more than political speculation packaged as classified information,” Dare said.
The presidential aide also rejected suggestions that Von Batten was speaking in any official capacity for the US government, describing references to him as a “Senior Government Advisor” as misleading.
“The self-bestowed appellation of ‘Senior Government Advisor’ is a linguistic sleight of hand,” Dare said, maintaining that Von Batten is a commercial lobbyist and founder of Von Batten-Montague-York rather than a United States government official.
The Presidency also drew attention to the relationship between Atiku and the lobbying firm.
Dare said publicly available filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act, FARA, showed that Atiku engaged Von Batten-Montague-York on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
He alleged that the engagement was designed to counter the Nigerian government’s narrative and deploy historical American legal and investigative records for political advantage ahead of the 2027 general election.
Dare further questioned claims that Von Batten had access to President Trump, members of his administration or the capacity to influence ongoing United States legal proceedings.
Despite the Presidency’s response, the lobbying firm maintained that it had retained the communications surrounding the alleged $3 million approach and would forward them to US authorities.
It concluded its statement with a message directed at Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and their associates:
“We have a simple message for President Bola Tinubu, the APC, and their associates: Thank you for the offer, but no thanks.”
The allegation comes amid an intensifying political dispute over historical US law-enforcement records concerning Tinubu, as opposition interests and the Presidency trade accusations ahead of the 2027 election.
However, there is presently no independently verified evidence establishing that the alleged $3 million offer was made, that the unnamed individual was acting for or connected to Tinubu, or that the President authorised any such approach.
Similarly, allegations concerning heroin trafficking referenced by the lobbying firm have not been established as criminal findings against Tinubu by a court in the material supplied, while the Presidency’s allegations concerning the political purpose of Atiku’s lobbying engagement remain part of the broader political dispute.
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